When Is Mantis Shrimp at Its Fattest? Let Me Teach You How to Pick Them

The mantis shrimp is a type of shrimp, scientifically known as Squilla, and is the most common shrimp in coastal areas. It is inexpensive, has delicious meat, and is said to promote lactation, draw out toxins, and tonify the kidney and strengthen yang, so many people like to steam or stir-fry it. So when is the mantis shrimp at its fattest? How do you pick them?

When is it at its fattest?

The mantis shrimp is not a rare species and is very common in seafood markets, but if you want to eat delicious mantis shrimp, you have to pay attention to the season.

Generally speaking, the mantis shrimp is at its fattest every year in April and May, which is around Qingming and May Day each year. During this period the mantis shrimp is especially plump and delicious, especially the females, which carry a lot of roe.

By June, the mantis shrimp have finished spawning, and then comes the fishing moratorium, when it is hard to eat plump, delicious mantis shrimp. It is not until September, when the small shrimp have grown, that you can eat mantis shrimp again, but at this time they are small and not plump or delicious enough.

Because mantis shrimp only spawn in spring each year, people often say that spring is a good season to eat them, although at this time the price is a bit higher.

How do you pick them?

1. Look at how fresh and lively they are

How fresh and lively a mantis shrimp is is closely related to its taste. Like crabs, mantis shrimp are basically made of protein, so they spoil quickly after death, and a steamed mantis shrimp that is not fresh is often not only fishy and smelly but also empty inside. When picking mantis shrimp, pay attention to two things:

1. A live mantis shrimp has an arched back and will not lie flat there

2. A live shrimp's eyes are especially bright and have a glimmer of green light that becomes even clearer after it leaves the water, while a dead shrimp's eyes have long lost this color

2. Tell males from females

Male mantis shrimp have a full, firm meatiness, while female mantis shrimp have exceptionally fresh and fragrant roe. Telling males from females is actually very simple:

1. Near the head and neck on the belly of a female shrimp there are three white horizontal lines, and when held up to the light you can see a very obvious solid line in the middle of her back, which is the color showing through from the roe

2. The three main features of a male shrimp: a large and imposing body, a head carapace that is about the same width at the top and bottom, and two small legs on the abdomen near the base of the neck, which the female shrimp does not have.